Bluet Damselfly

Bluets are a large group of slender, narrow-winged damselflies in the genus Enallagma, widespread across ponds, lakes, and slow streams in North America and parts of Europe. Males of most species are bright blue with black markings along the thorax and abdomen, while females tend to be duller, often showing more brown, tan, or pale blue-green coloring, making accurate species identification within the group challenging without close examination.

Like other damselflies, bluets rest with their wings folded together above the body rather than spread flat, and they have a comparatively weak, fluttering flight compared to true dragonflies. They are frequently seen in mating pairs or ovipositing females forming a connected tandem chain, with the male continuing to grip the female behind the head while she deposits eggs into submerged or floating vegetation.

• Small, slender body with narrow, clear wings held together above the back at rest
• Males typically bright blue with black markings on the thorax and abdominal segments
• Females usually duller, often brownish, tan, or pale blue-green rather than vivid blue
• Eyes set apart on a relatively narrow head, unlike the touching or nearly touching eyes of true dragonflies
• Many bluet species look nearly identical and often require close inspection of abdominal markings to distinguish reliably

Bluet damselflies are found around still or slow-moving freshwater with abundant aquatic or emergent vegetation, including ponds, lake margins, marshes, and quiet stream backwaters, across much of North America and parts of Europe. Adults are typically active from late spring through late summer, staying close to the water where they developed.

Adults hunt small flying insects such as midges and mosquitoes, catching prey on the wing near vegetation close to the water. Mating pairs often fly in tandem, with the male continuing to grasp the female while she lays eggs into plant tissue at or below the water surface. The aquatic nymphs are predators of smaller invertebrates among submerged plants, and both adults and nymphs serve as important prey for fish, birds, and other predators within pond and lake food webs.

Females insert eggs into the stems or leaves of aquatic plants, sometimes submerging much of their body to reach suitable tissue underwater. The nymphs that hatch live among submerged vegetation, molting through several instars over a period of weeks to about a year depending on species and climate, while hunting small aquatic invertebrates. When development is complete, the nymph climbs out of the water onto a plant stem, where the winged adult emerges, hardens its wings, and disperses to begin hunting and mating near the same water body.